In recent years, multi subscriber identification modules (SIM) devices have become more popular because a user may maintain multiple connections in a single user equipment (UE). One type of multi-SIM device referred to as a dual SIM dual standby (DSDS) device, shares a common radio frequency (RF) resource between two SIMs namely SIM1 and SIM2. Both SIMs are capable of operating using different radio access technologies (RATs). For example, SIM1 is capable of providing long term evolution (LTE) services to the user and SIM2 is capable of providing second generation (2G) related services to the user. Since, the SIMs of the DSDS device share a single RF resource, the device allows only one SIM to have active communication with a network thereby providing limited service to the other SIM.
For example, suppose that the UE establishes a data session with an LTE network using SIM1. The performance of the UE in the LTE network is defined by LTE throughput, which denotes a rate at which the UE is receiving and transmitting data. Since, only one RF resource is available, SIM2 also requests RF resources for performing higher priority activities. Some of the high priority activities include at least one of sending a signaling request to a network, checking a paging channel, reading system information, measuring serving and neighbor cell signal strength, establishing a packet switched (PS) data session and the like. Therefore, in response to a request from SIM2, SIM1 shares the RF resource with SIM2, thereby reducing RF resource availability to SIM 1. Hence, the UE may under-utilize network resources and in turn, a network may penalize the UE, leading to poor LTE performance at the LTE DSDS UE.
In view of the foregoing, methods for efficiently sharing RF resources in a DSDS device may be desirable.